Seasonal Vestiges: Winter's Hope
by Takako Koyo
Summary: (One shot of Seasonal Vestiges Series) That was the last winter we shared. This season represents death, ending, sorrow, and loneliness. But Chihiro, when you left, our adorable daughter became my only hope. CH.


Disclaimer: I do not own SA.  
  
Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic, and the first one shot fanfic of the Seasonal Vestiges Series.  
  
Let's start with the season of winter. ^_^  
  
***~***  
  
Seasonal Vestiges:  
  
Winter's Hope  
  
***~***  
  
A man with brilliant green eyes opened the door of the backseat of his car. A small young girl around the age of four with deep emerald green eyes and hair tied up in a ponytail with a purple hair band jumped out from the car with white roses in her hands and safely landed on the pure white snow.  
  
"It's not safe to jump on snow Nozomi, you might slip." whispered the man softly to his daughter as he banged the car door close.  
  
"I am sorry daddy, please don't be mad at me..." Nozomi pleaded who put up a sad face although she knows that her father would never be mad at her.  
  
"I can never be mad at you." The man laughed as he took the roses from his daughter and grabbed her small hand as they began walking. His daughter knows all his weaknesses.  
  
A few minutes later, they both arrived in the deserted cemetery which looked gloomier than before because the clouds blocked all the sunlight. After passing by countless memorial stones, they stopped in front of the one carved with the name Nigihayami Chihiro and a photo of that name's possessor.  
  
"Hi mommy!" said Nozomi to the grave with a wide smile who then clung her small body to her father's shank like a koala.  
  
Nozomi recognized the woman in the photo. Nigihayami Chihro was her deceased mother, who was also her father's wife whom she'd never met before. Her mother died at the age of twenty-four during childbirth, which means when Nozomi was born. Her father hung her mother's pictures everywhere on the walls in their mansion; she thinks that perhaps her father doesn't want anyone in the house to forget her, including himself.  
  
"Let's give mommy the beautiful flowers we bought." The man suggested as he showed her the white roses that he was holding, signaling her to let go of his leg so he can offer the roses to her mother. And she did obediently.  
  
"Daddy and I chose these roses just for you mommy." Nozomi said to the mute stone.  
  
Both of them walked up front to the grave and took out a beautiful glass vase half-filled by snow from the back of the tombstone and began adjusting the roses into it together. Sorrow filled his heart once more as everything that had happened years before replays in his mind.  
  
~~~Memories~~~  
  
Six years after he'd found his true name in that summer, his life in Aburaya has finally ended. Now it's his turn to cross the snowy field which was once a grass field and exited through the tunnel. However, he stopped and stared at the entrance of the tunnel and never set his foot inside.  
  
He need to give up the magic he'd learned and the ability to transform into a white dragon in exchange for being in the human world, to him, it's all worth it. But what if Chihiro doesn't have any feelings for him or maybe forgot about him already? If she does, can he bear the pain? Those are his worries right now. He hesitated to think.  
  
Deep in his muse, cold wind blew slightly from inside the dark tunnel and carried the echo of a voice from its other end. A voice that he still recognizes which to his surprise it's still the same voice that he yearned to hear.  
  
~~~*~~~~~*~~~  
  
"Kohaku! Are you there?" shouted Chihiro. Despite the cold wind and the frozen raindrops from the sky, she came to the tunnel again today. She comes alone to visit this tunnel in the middle of the forest very often since six years ago. But today, she felt like shouting out everything she wanted to ask. According to her memory, the entrance of the tunnel is very far from its exit on the other side, therefore, she must shout in order for the other world to hear her.  
  
Like she had expected, she was just shouting at an empty tunnel in the middle of the forest hoping that someone in the other side or world is going to hear her. She wanted to laugh at her foolishness. Should she feel pity for herself? But these horrible feelings had been swirling inside her heart and mind for years and she can't take it any longer. She was worried about Kohaku. She continued to shout and her voice passed through the tunnel.  
  
"If you are, please remember to keep your promise!" Everything that'd happened six years ago came to her mind and some hot liquid rushed to her eyes and blurred her view as it slipped down her cheeks and descended on the snow.  
  
"P-please...r-reply..." She chocked out the words. Now there seemed to be something that has disabled her from making a sound from her throat. She tried hard to speak again, but she only inhaled uncomfortably and sniffed as more tears continued to make their way down her cheeks. She allowed herself to stop shouting but continue crying.  
  
"Understood!" That word or that reply was heard clearly in her ears and the sound of footsteps came out from the tunnel. It's coming from the other side, but could it be? Her eyes widened and her heart pounded faster than it'd ever been as she waited for the person who replied to emerge from the dark tunnel.  
  
~~~*~~~~~*~~~  
  
He is positive that he heard Chihiro's shouts and it gave him courage and an assuring feeling. Therefore, he made his first step into the tunnel after he replied to the voice he heard. But every step seemed to last very long and the exit seemed farther away than he thought. It was a while later that he realized that running is faster than walking.  
  
He rushed out of the exit and Chihiro, the one he yearned madly for all these years were in front of his eyes. Panting heavily, he told himself it's not a dream as he approaches the young girl.  
  
"Kohaku?" Chihiro started first. This seems very unreal but those are definitely the eyes of brilliant green.  
  
"I've come to your snowing world." He smiled. His eyes scanned the white surrounding, and then turned to look at Chihiro again. Except that she grew a bit taller and older, she remained like the Chihiro he knew years ago with the purple hair band still tied her ponytail. Pure and innocent.  
  
Chihiro threw herself at him as he wrapped his arms around her slim body to embrace her. Both enjoyed this feeling, it's like that happiness had returned to the both of them, especially Chihiro who actually squeezed him more tightly than he could ever imagine to absorb all his warmth.  
  
"I thought you have forgotten about me." He said.  
  
"I haven't, because I'd never lose hope."  
  
~~~*~~~~~*~~~  
  
That was the first winter they shared. Then, they both entered the same high school, although both then went into different colleges they kept their relationship as a couple and eventually, they got married right after they were graduated from college.  
  
Chihiro became a professional photographer and Kohaku became a successful businessman. Their everyday lives were filled with laughter and happiness.  
  
They never knew that happiness couldn't stay long and the time when everything turns lifeless, everyone rarely smiled and hope seemed to be gone arrived that winter...  
  
~~~*~~~~~*~~~  
  
Kohaku was walking back and forth in the hospital, he's too nervous and worried that he couldn't sit still in his seat and calm himself down. His wife, Chihiro is now giving birth to their child in the surgical room and he is extremely nervous! Waiting is painful and worries can really mess up a person's mind.  
  
A nurse who looked pale and worried came out from the surgical room and hurried over to another nurse. Kohaku ran over to her for any information of his wife and child.  
  
"Tell all the other doctors to come over, the mother and the child is in great danger right now!" She quickly went back into the surgical room and the other nurse looked for other doctors urgently. Kohaku was horror- stricken, Chihiro is in danger?  
  
Several doctors arrived after a few minutes. Then hours past and he's sick of waiting, the doors of the surgical room opened and two of the doctors who wore grief on their faces exited from the room and came over to Kohaku.  
  
"We've done our best and we are sorry to inform you that the mother passed away because of blood loss." One doctor said with her head down.  
  
Kohaku's heart ached; it felt like someone had stabbed him hard in his heart causing him tremendous pain. He doesn't want to believe that what the doctors said. He rushed into the surgical room and found Chihiro's body lying on a bloody surgical bed. He ran to her side and grabbed her frozen hand. Chihiro, why her? It sounded very unfair. His world is like crashing down on him. He then heard someone also entered into the room.  
  
"Mr. Nigihayami," Kohaku turned around and found the nurse he saw previously was behind him. "The baby girl..., I mean your daughter survived..." Her soft voice sounded like a whisper. But her words echoed in his head.  
  
~~~*~~~~~*~~~  
  
It is midwinter and the mansion looked colder and gloomier than before with black and white banners decorating its walls and everyone in the house were dressed in appropriate color of black and white.  
  
The birth of his daughter should be celebrated but the death of his wife took away everyone's spirit. Kohaku just sat in his bedroom and look dully outside the window with his lifeless eyes and his daughter in his cradle. He looked more depressed than anyone in the house, like a person who had lost his soul. Should he be sad or happy? One gain and one lost.  
  
"Kohaku," Someone put a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he turned to look at his mother-in-law, Yuuko Ogino.  
  
"Have you given our grand-daughter a name yet?" Yuuko tried to sound cheerful but it couldn't hide the sorrow in her eyes. She felt sorry for her son-in-law and granddaughter, their family has already lost their most important member.  
  
Kohaku turned to look at the baby in his arms. She opened her eyelids revealing the pair of emerald green eyes which look like the ones her father possessed, but the green is a bit deeper, because Chihiro's dark gray eye color was fused with it also. She inherited his black hair but the rest of her other features were obviously inherited from her mother, a small nose, and cute pink cheeks. She looks like a dainty doll.  
  
"Nozomi." He answered finally.  
  
The baby girl's name represents 'hope'.  
  
~~~*~~~~~*~~~  
  
Kohaku didn't marry any other woman since four years ago. Time past by quickly and his dainty doll had grown to a lovely child. Innocent and pure, just like her deceased mother.  
  
Everyone consider that Nozomi loved her father very much. Acts like a koala; always clung herself on Kohaku's back, arms, and legs. They can also describe them as a magnet attracted to iron. She follows her father everywhere whenever he is in the house.  
  
Although she'd never met her mother, she knew a lot about her from the bedtime stories she heard from her father and grandparents or whenever they were reminiscing about her.  
  
Nozomi knew every secret of her father too. She knew he doesn't like wasabi, bitter is not his favorites either, flirtatious women who he sees throughout his everyday life makes him vomit, soft-hearted, love her and her mother very much, and she herself is his treasure.  
  
Kohaku was always out at work but Nozomi can always stay charming, cheerful, and happy either when she is alone or with someone. You just can't find any imperfection in her.  
  
~~~Memories Ended~~~  
  
A drop of tear suddenly slipped down his cheek and landed on a rose petal. He felt something soft and warm wiping the wet trail on his face.  
  
It's Nozomi who was wiping it away with her small fingers. Kohaku smiled and took hold of her small hand.  
  
A sudden gust of cold wind blew the warmth out from the both of them, cold reached their bones. Kohaku gently tug the gray scarf in Nozomi's jacket to keep her warm.  
  
"Don't be sad daddy, mommy is in heaven." Nozomi said happily. Kohaku who thinks that her daughter is lying to him so he can be happy, rose his eyebrows.  
  
"How you know?" He played along with her lie with a small smile as he placed his hand on her small cheek.  
  
"I'd always dream of mommy and she told me to tell you not to lose hope!" She said charmingly like a little angel. This proved to him that she's not lying after all.  
  
"I'd never lose hope, because you are my hope Nozomi." Kohaku embraced Nozomi with his arms who returned the hug. Although Chihiro'd departed from him, she'd left him her hope.  
  
"Thank you Chihiro." He said to the grave.  
  
The coulds in the sky suddenly cleared away and the sun appeared. Sunlight illuminated the cemetery and brought both of them a little bit of warmth.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Is mommy watching over us?" Nozomi asked as the both of them gazed into the blue sky.  
  
"Of course she is." Kohaku laughed.  
  
Winter wouldn't be the season of ending, death, sorrow, or loneliness if you still have hope.  
  
~~~END~~~  
  
Phew, I'd finally done it! ^_^ I hope it wouldn't sound too weird or disappointed you. I suggest you read the ending with "Lunar Dream" by S.E.N.S. That's what gave me the feeling to write this fanfic.  
  
Well, the first fanfic of this seasonal series is over. Like you have predicted, the fanfic of spring, summer, and autumn would come. I think I'll be working on the fanfic for autumn or summer next...  
  
*Please Review and Review and see you folks next time. I think my mind can take flames also. LOL  
  
Thank you for reading! *Bows* 


End file.
